1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gaming machine that is capable of repeatedly executing a unit game.
2. Background of the Related Art
Conventionally, it has been known that there are provided gaming machines played in such a manner that: when a player presses a spin button subsequent to entry of a gaming medium such as a coin, random numbers for determination of symbols are extracted; when a plurality of video reels displayed on a display are stopped, symbols to be displayed for the player are determined; scrolling of symbol arrays on a respective one of the video reels is started; symbols are rearranged while scrolling is stopped so that the determined symbols are displayed for the player; it is determined whether or not a combination of the displayed symbols is associated with a prize; and in the case where the combination is associated with the prize, a bonus according to a kind of the combination of the symbols is awarded to the player.
Among such gaming machines, there exists a gaming machine played in such a manner that, in order to enhance a player's sense of expectation for a special game, for example, in the case where it is determined that a predetermined number of trigger symbols or more are rearranged, an effect representative of the fact that a levelness of a probability of transfer to the special game is displayed while symbol arrays are displayed in a scrolled state, or alternatively, an effect image is displayed in such a mode as to indicate a position at which a WILD symbol that can be substituted for any normal symbol is displayed. (Reference should be made to United State Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0021261.)
In addition, there has been proposed a gaming machine played in such a manner that, in order to earlier indicate a sign of a payment to be awarded, a corresponding sign effect image is read out according to a levelness of a payment that is determined in accordance with a combination of symbols rearranged, and while symbol arrays are displayed in a scrolled state, the sign effect image is displayed. (Reference should be made to U.S. Pat. No. 7,922,580.)
However, in the gaming machines as described above, even if a sign effect is displayed, a player just sees the displayed sign effect, and the player cannot make any operation for the sign effect. The sign effect in the gaming machines mentioned above is predetermined based on rearranged symbols. Therefore, it is not permitted that the rearranged symbols that have been internally predetermined are influenced by the player's operation for the sign effect, and it is also difficult to configure the gaming machines in such a manner so as to accept an intervention exerted by such a player's operation.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming machine in which a player can make an operation for a sign effect, thus enabling the player not to be given such an impression as if rearranged symbols were influenced.